


Light and Dark

by Brownies96



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series), Thomas Sanders
Genre: Castles, Gen, Kingdoms, Ok so this is basically just a world idea I couldn't get out of my head, Platonic LAMP - Freeform, actual Prince Remus, actual prince Roman, murder mentions, no beta we die like men, violence mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-07-09 18:34:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19892428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brownies96/pseuds/Brownies96
Summary: Their marriage contract was simple enough. The two nations could not have the same heir, though both would have to be their children. The prince and princess would rule their own country when the time came, the other merely as consort in the other’s domain.Though there was great fear of what would become of such a deal, it was the best the wisest minds from either nation could come up with.For once, fortune did not aggrieve both nations in this, and there was much rejoicing when her majesty gave birth to twin boys. A prince for each nation. Roman and Remus.





	Light and Dark

The two kingdoms could never be joined. So it had been as long as words had been written. Yet still the need for stability weighed heavily on the people of both nations. Bitter rivals turned grudging allies as trade became necessary to keep the people fed, housed, and in good health. A marriage, something concrete to establish the alliance was necessary for the rulers of each kingdom to ensure that the other could not back down from their end of the bargain. Ideally there would have been younger children, some princes or princesses second or third in the line of succession. But just as ill fortune had cursed the kingdoms with the need for the alliance, so to had it ensured that there were only the heirs to the throne.

The princess was strong and noble, with eyes like fire, as likely to outdo a competitor at jousting as at needlework. The prince, a nation away, was cool and inventive, he would succeed at tasks as readily as her, but through means of his wit rather than strength.

To the surprise of many the match was an amicable one. His icy temperament did not put out her fire, nor did her fire melt him. They were equals, heirs to their thrones, and they were immovable.

Their marriage contract was simple enough. The two nations could not have the same heir, though both would have to be their children. The prince and princess would rule their own country when the time came, the other merely as consort in the other’s domain.

Though there was great fear of what would become of such a deal, it was the best the wisest minds from either nation could come up with.

For once, fortune did not aggrieve both nations in this, and there was much rejoicing when her majesty gave birth to twin boys. A prince for each nation. Roman and Remus.

* * *  


Phoia was a city built of marble, it glistened against the sun in Summer and made snow look dull grey in winter. The princess, now Queen had always loved her country, the cultural penchant for decorating with gold or, if that was too expensive, brass, made for a beautiful coast. That was not to say she did not appreciate the beauty of her husband’s domain, though it was difficult for her to be there, she was so accustomed to ruling that her lack of power in Skaros bothered her more that she could ever admit.

Skaros was the exact opposite of Phoia, the buildings were made of onyx, obsidian, and dark granite, all readily available from the underwater volcano near its coast. There was an ancient belief that silver would ward away the larva that flowed into the towns from eruptions. Despite the fact that the volcano had seemed dormant for almost a century, the people of Skaros clung to the old belief, and decorated anything they could with silver. Like his Queen, the King was never truly comfortable out of Skaros, though he was aware the Phoia was a lovely place, though like her, he knew never to say anything.

Both the King and Queen knew that now that the twins were of age, they would have to make a decision about which of them would inherit which nation. Of course, there was no true time limit on their decision other than the death of the King and Queen, but the people of both nations would sleep easier at night if they knew what would become of Phoia and Skaros.

* * *

To say that the twins did not get along would be a great understatement, though the extent of their hatred for one another fluctuated. Some days, it was very much a traditional sibling rivalry, where they would argue from sunrise to sunset, but should someone dare hurt the other, the remaining twin would rush to his defence. On other days, if was clear that only the fact that it would spark a literal war kept them from killing each other in cold blood.

Roman had his mother’s fire. He was quick to lash out and quick to defend, unfortunately this made him very liable to rising to his brother’s bait and exploding with rage.

Remus, however, was not icy, but definitely wet. He had no filter whatsoever, at least that was how it appeared. He said a great many things clearly for no merit other than their shock value. Roman knew, that while Remus was capable of keeping his disgusting thoughts to himself, Remus simply didn’t want to, but the rest of the court was convinced that that was just how Remus was, a fact that annoyed Roman to no end.

Roman had worked hard his entire life to be a good Prince, to fit the role he had been given: To be noble, generous, and wise. At their lessons, while Roman tried desperately to think how best to solve the problem between two hypothetical subjects their tutor had posed them, Remus would interject with, “I know! Why don’t we give them both enormous poisoned swords and leave them to it! Ha! Problem solved!” At which point Roman would become too busy trying to push that awful thought from his mind to think of anything useful to say.

Of course, Remus would then point out that since his idea was the only one proposed, it would have to be the one they went through with. All the while twisting his ridiculous moustache and laughing maniacally. Their tutor wold just sigh and ask Remus to be serious, to which he would respond “I am,” without changing anything he was doing. This was what Roman was afraid of. He wished everybody else was as afraid.

They were staying in Phoia at present, and Roman suspected this was because his mother wanted him to choose Phoia to rule. Not that there was much choice, he much preferred it here, in the light and bright. It was also the nation that housed the only other people his age he could begin to tolerate.

Roman knew, that as a Prince, he had to try to love all of his subjects, but they made it so hard! On the rare occasion Roman managed to voice an idea of his, after spending hours making sure that it was an idea he could be proud of, they would take his idea so lightly, as if it was one of Remus’, rather than carefully thought out by Roman. He wanted to make something meaningful and people stubbornly chose to ignore him! It was enough to make him scream.

Fortunately, he was in Phoia, and if he made his way to the kitchens of Castle Aspros, and remembered where the stained glass portrait of a long forgotten King stood unusually in a dark hallway, he could find them. The portrait glowed, backlit meaning they were there already. Roman felt the left side of the frame for the latch and the portrait swung out towards him.

It had been a good idea, a backlit stained-glass portrait, exactly the sort of beautiful creation Phoia was renowned for. Roman often wondered in this ancestor of his would have minded that he used the alcove behind the candelabra to meet with Logan and Patton. It had been Logan who had figured out what it was. There must have been some time between the shortages and the first trade treaty where the wax had run out, so the servants or whoever had been in charge of the portrait had left it, after all, they needed what few candles they had to light rooms people actually used.

“Good afternoon Roman, I take it your lessons went as usual?” Logan asked, peering from behind his glasses.

Roman just nodded and was tackled by Patton in a bear hug. Roman had to fight to stay balanced, especially considering that he was being forced towards the glass door.

“Its Ok, Patton, I’m OK,” he said, returning Patton’s embrace.

“You’re always so sad after your classes, I just wanted to cheer you up.” Said Patton sweetly.

“That’s a lovely sentiment, but perhaps be more cautious in a room with a glass door and fire all over the place,” said Logan. His tone could have been gentler, but he had been making a lot of effort recently to be nicer to Patton of late, given that Patton put so much effort into being kind to him, even when they disagreed.

Roman sat down, Patton still attached to him. He supposes these were his friends, Patton and Logan. Patton certainly was, he was always so happy to see him, and was the only other person he knew who took the threat of Remus seriously. Logan was harder to place, he was not one to express emotion readily, preferring reason under all circumstances. However, he was not without his moments. Roman looked at the book Logan was scribbling in. Taking a moment to process the words upside-down, Roman saw that Logan was elaborating on an idea of his! Definitely his friend.

Underneath layers upon layers of Logan’s scrawl was Roman’s idea: to escape for a day and go to the beach while the weather was still warm and the sun set so late that many were abed by the time the sky began to turn pink. Logan had crossed out the work escape and replaced it with “to disappear without being noticed” and had added “and return without being noticed”.

Beneath that was a list of the rotations of the palace guards, the best entrance and exit points from the castle and a list of pros and cons: “Pros: time away from work is good for mental health, occasional time in the sun is good for physical health, time away from Remus will benefit both Roman and Patton’s moods. Cons: if caught we will definitely be punished, risk of sunburn and heatstroke. Actions needed: do not get caught, rest in a shady place.”

Roman was suddenly hit by how very lucky he was having Logan and Patton, even though they did dismiss his ideas on occasion, when they didn’t, they put a lot of effort into planning them. It was heart-warming.

* * *

Roma should have known that it was too good to last. The day of their planned outing, Roman awoke and had just opened the door to his room when found a messenger from Skaros knocking on his brother’s door. He knew the messenger, though not by name. He would follow Remus around in Skaros, along with two others, Remus’ friends, every bit as awful as he was.

He kept his door open, just a crack and strained to hear what they were saying.

“ . . . Wants to know when . . .” Came the messenger’s voice. Roman tried to hear more but their voices were too muffled. He waited until he could hear footsteps and then walked as silently as he could after the messenger. But this messenger was not one to be taken by surprise, he whipped around as soon as Roman got close, a spark of something primal in his as he poised, ready to spring into action.

“Whoa, whoa, I just want to ask you a question,” Roman said, fighting the impulse to go for his sword.

“Normally,” said the messenger, his voice low and dark, “people just ask instead of following me around.”

Roman was certain there was a better way to ask, a way that would have this messenger-friend of Remus’ answering any question he wanted to ask, but he needed to answers fast, before he was supposed to meet Logan and Patton.

“Why are you here?” Roman demanded.

“You’re going to have to find a better way of asking than _that_ ,” the messenger said, venom dripping from his voice.

Roman had something of an idea, he didn’t have time to assess whether it was good or not, but he knew that one of Remus’ friends did talk to him. Those talks were confusing and often left Roman feeling like he was simultaneously king of the world and the dog shut being scraped of someone’s shoe, but he talked. “Where are the rest of you? What’s-his-face and the one you call Dee?”

The messenger was clearly taken aback that Roman knew who they were. Roman supposed Logan and Patton would be surprised to if Remus knew who they were as well. But this messenger hid it well and the shock was gone from his face in moments. “They have better things to do than come here and deal with you.”

“And you don’t?” Roman asked. Seeing an opportunity to get the last word out and still make it to the meeting point, Roman took it, racing past the messenger and hurling himself down the stairs and through the corridors the stables, where Patton and Logan were waiting.

He recounted the events of the morning to his friends as they made their way down to the beach, they had decided foot would be the best way to travel, no one would expect someone sneaking out to the stables only to run off on foot.

Roman was pleased to see that even Logan was puzzled, “That is very unusual. Have you and Remus discussed who will inherit which throne, I think it’s safe to assume that you will remain here, and he will end up at Castle Mavrizmenos in Skaros.”

Roman sighed, “I mean, I hope so. I think I’d be happier here, but I’m not sure any country would put up with Remus in charge. Or should put up with him for that matter”

Patton agreed, “I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”

They had arrived at a secluded beach, small enough that no group would ever bother with the long trek only to be squeezed into such a tiny space. It was only accessible if you knew where you were going as well, and without Patton guiding them, both Roman and Logan surely would have been lost.

They quickly found a shady place to keep their belongings and rushed into the cooling, jewel-toned water. A splash war had been initiated by Roman and he and Logan competed fiercely, both determined to outdo the other. Patton laughed and splashed about too, but without any force behind his blows. It was not long before all three of them were exhausted and laughing.

Eventually, they decided it was time for lunch and returned to the shore, only to find that same messenger sitting near their food, poised like a panther about to strike.

“What are you doing here?” Demanded Roman.

“Ro-“ Patton began, but he was cut off by the messenger.

“What am I doing here? Oh I don’t know? Maybe making sure that the idiot who is the only thing standing between this and war doesn’t drown before he even gets a crown on his head! Or were you too busy enjoying yourself to care about lowly people like us?’ The messenger spat.

Roman felt his temper rise, “So I’m to do nothing while I wait around for my parents to die? What a lovely thought, I’ll officially become the most useless king in the history of the world. If I never did anything risky, I’d be a worse king than Remus is going to be! And that is saying something!”

Roman took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, he knew his temper was the main source of his problems with Remus, and he was not about to let another person get under his skin like that.

The messenger took advantage of the silence and moved towards the three of them, circling them like a predator. “So you know?” The messenger asked.

“Know what?” Logan answered.

“You know that Remus cannot be king.”

“Know?” Roman sputtered. “He’s my brother! Of course, I know what he’s like.”

“Good.” The messenger shrunk back, still watching Roman and his friends warily.

“Everyone knows that you’re going to choose Phoia,” The messenger said idly. “So, in Skaros we have been planning for what Remus will become.” Something about the messenger’s tone felt brittle as he continued to speak, Patton noticed this and took a step towards the messenger, whose attention was still on Roman.

“I could choose Skaros.” Roman said, and the messenger snorted.

“You won’t. Not that it matters, Dee will be high priest and he will make sure that Remus is married off to someone who can control him.”

That was something Roman hadn’t thought of, the monarchy in Phoia was relatively absolute in its power, where the in Skaros, the high priest would always hold the position second only to the king.

“So, I have to choose Phoia, so that there is someone to control Remus.” Roman mused.

The messenger looked at Roman, hard, like he was trying to see what part of this was a trick.

“Oh!” The messenger was startled by Patton, who was looking at him with an expression the messenger had never seen before.

“Oh, you poor thing!” Patton said, rushing to his bag and pulling out a poultice that he’d packed in case of sunburn. Patton gently dipped a rag into the poultice and held it out to the messenger, who was still staring at him in alarm. When the messenger did not take the rag, Patton gently tapped in along the messenger’s arms, drawing enough attention to the area for Logan and Roman to see what was going on.

Bruised, purple and raised stood out along the messenger’s arms. And – were those bite marks? Roman didn’t want to thank about how they had happened. The messenger hissed when he saw their attention on the marks, but Logan stepped in, realising that if he could keep the messenger distracted, Patton would be able to help him.

“That is a smart plan you have there,” He said, sitting down so that the messenger wouldn’t feel so surrounded. “Using the innate systems of the nations to decide who would make the better ruler was ingenious.”

The messenger tried to hide his face. “I wasn’t really my idea, but I have to make sure it happens. If Remus-“ he winced as Patton dabbed a particularly sore spot, “If Remus isn’t controlled-“

“I know,” said Roman, sitting beside Logan and joining the conversation. “But how are you supposed to control him?”

“Dee can do it.” Said the messenger with certainty, “He can make anyone do anything.”

Roman could see it too. Dee had always been able to convince him to leave Remus and them alone, even when he knew someone could get hurt. Dee had even convinced him not to worry about the messenger, had somehow made him forget that he’d seen the messenger covered in bruises before. Memories came flooding back to him as if they’d been behind a wall that the messenger had demolished with his words. Roman understood: What could control a monster? A bigger monster.

When Roman met the messenger’s eyes he felt awful. How had he just stood by and let the situation become so dire? He wracked his brains for a solution, only to have his brother’s terrible ideas echoing through his head: “What if I just killed everyone? What if I led them all to the volcano and just – pushed them in!?”

Roman felt sick. He wasn’t like that. He wasn’t Remus. He thought things through, he had Patton and Logan to help him. What would they do?

Logan would figure out the exact problem. Remus would be a terrible king to his people – His people!! Roman could feel an idea forming. Patton always knew how to help people, he always made time and space for anyone who needed help –

“That’s it!” Roman cried out so suddenly that the messenger would have fallen had Patton’s steady hands not caught him. “Sorry!” Roman added to the messenger.

He tried to steady his breathing before explaining his plan but he was too excited. “As a gesture of goodwill, I will offer citizenship to Phoia to anyone from Skaros wishing to move. Remus will have to mirror the gesture and then if anyone is in danger, from him they can simply come here and be tried at my court instead!”

Three sets of eyes stared at Roman in shock. Sure, they had all known that Roman was the better of the twins, but none of them had expected him to be this much better.

“Dee is going to hate that.” Said the messenger, smiling. But the smile dropped from his face when he looked at Roman again.

“What’s wrong?” Patton asked.

“I’m going to have to stay in Skaros, aren’t I?” he said, making the mood sink like lead.

Roman looked at the messenger, and then two his two friends, who’s expressions clearly read ‘you’d better not put this poor guy through more than he’s already gone through’. He wanted to assuage his guilt as well, he’d clearly watched Virgil be hurt by his brother, and maybe also Dee, though he was reluctant to accept that, and ignored it. He wanted to offer out an olive branch. But at the same time, could he trust him? Was this some elaborate plot by Remus to get him to confirm which nation he would choose?

“You,” said Roman to the messenger, “You didn’t want to tell me anything earlier today? What changed here?”

The messenger answered, “There are fewer people listening here.”

“How do I know I can trust you? I don’t even know your name?”

“You don’t. I can’t give you anything more than my word, and neither of us knows how much that is worth.”

“But you were worried about us. About me, you said so yourself.” Roman was thinking aloud. “Even if you think I’m careless, you still worried. And you could have lied here. And you did something. Making my memories come back like that. How?”

“I don’t know. Sometimes, if you jog someone’s memory right, it just . . . comes back.”

“You can come to Phoia. You can be the first.” Roman said, stretching his arm out to the messenger.

“You can be a force for good.” Patton added, wrapping the last bandage around his arm.

“Thank you.” Said the messenger, in a voice so small and fast Roman almost didn’t hear it. He took Roman’s outstretched hand. “It’s Virgil, by the way,” He said, too quickly for it to have the humorous edge he’d meant it to, “my name.”

**Author's Note:**

> OK so this is really just a world idea that I had to get out of my head and onto a page. If anyone wants to use this world or continue this story, let me know because I'd love to read it!! 
> 
> Anyway, I love you all <3


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